I followed the popular route from Lake Francis to join Morgan's NW ridge. Much has already been said about this peak and this route, so I'll just briefly say. . . I found the climb to be strenuous, but surprisingly gentle with class 2 routes revealing themselves all the way. My data showed 11 miles round trip, with 4,500' gain.
I left my car at Rock Creek Lake at 830am. I made quick work, along good trail, in the cool morning air to reach Francis lake one hour later. I could feel that I was not fully acclimated, having come from the Bay Area yesterday. The trail to Francis Lake is in great shape with a good grade, and yet. . . my heart was pounding. I sat beside the lake, hydrated, and felt my pulse relax. I then followed the creek upstream, at times bushwhacking past overgrowth along the lake shore. The walk upstream was a pleasant landscape through green meadows cut with cascading water. I especially enjoyed the multicolor geology---practically psychedelic---on the unnamed ridge to the east. I followed a use-trail through the meadows, and at other times I ascended convenient low-angle snow fields. At one point I could hear the creek roar under the snow beneath me, so I stayed to the right where I knew solid ground was below.
I followed treeline to a minor ridge, and followed that to a bigger ridge, at a sort of pass. The walking was a mix of scree, sandy flats, and mild tallus. With some forethought, I could see a line that bypassed much of the worst tallus.
As I huffed and puffed up the final 600', I encountered another hiker descending. He suggested I skirt southeast around a dominant snowfield, and approach the summit directly from the north. I followed his advice. The snowfield looked annoying, and I'm glad I avoided it. I walked up Morgan's north face, a scree hill, to summit at 330pm. I was surprised how long I spent hiking---I had been expecting to summit by 1pm---but I had noticed myself taking lots of breaks to catch my breath and regulate my pulse.
I lounged on the summit of 45 minutes. It was practically perfect summit conditions -- blue sky, light breeze, and warm air. The views were as good as I could have asked for. Because Morgan is set apart from the Sierra Crest, the panoramic vista is a peak-spotters delight.
I descended following the same route. Along the way, I was surprised by the thought, "did I really climb all of this?!
At Francis Lake, I sat on the shore and dumped sand and pebbles from my shoes. No back on trail, I cruised downhill and reached my car at 645pm. The parking lot had mostly cleared out. It was a peaceful spot for me to land after the long day. The soundscape was soothing. . . lake lapping shore, laughter from nearby campground, and bird song from finches and kinglets. I felt wiped out, so I crawled into the back of my Subaru with the seats folded down. I lounged in a pile of sleeping bags and foam pads. . . I drifted to sleep with the car roof open and stars overhead.
- Panorama SE to NW from Mount Morgan South summit
- Zoom on the Hourglass Couloir, Mount Dade, Abbot, and Mills
- Zoom on Bear Creek Spire
- View south, with Mount Goddard in the center
- Zoom northwest. In the center is Red&White Peak, and Red Slate Mountain. Behind them is the Minarets, Ritter, and Banner. Far right is the Koip-Kuna complex
